F1 British GP: Ferrari: Competitive Red Bull 'good for the show'

Ferrari's Maurizio Arrivabene feels Red Bull's recent surge is a positive for F1 but says his team's target is still catching Mercedes

Ferrari team principal Maurizio Arrivabene feels Red Bull's recent surge in performance and results is a positive for Formula 1 as it ensures the sharp end of the grid stays competitive but says his team's target is still catching Mercedes.

Over the past two races Red Bull has been Mercedes' closest competitors, with Max Verstappen claiming two consecutive second places after Nico Rosberg's 10-second time penalty was applied for breaking radio rules, while Ferrari has struggled with performance and mechanical issues.

As a result, Red Bull has closed the gap to six points behind Ferrari in the F1 constructors' championship, while the Milton Keynes-based squad has claimed one victory this year compared to Ferrari's misfires.

Arrivabene says Red Bull's resurgence is a boost for the sport but isn't turning the team's attention to battling Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo as he is still focused on reeling in the Mercedes pair.

"I think the fact that Red Bull has performed very well is good for Formula One, it's good for the competition, for the show," Arrivabene said. "I still think that our target is Mercedes and not Red Bull.

"At this stage of the season if I say we are going to give up, it's not correct. We need to be focussed and in times of problems, bad luck, and everything to have already, we are at the top in terms of points, and I hope that these kind of points, they go down and we start to get better."

Kimi Raikkonen has moved up to third in the F1 drivers' championship but is a considerable 62 points off leader Rosberg, while Sebastian Vettel has slipped to fifth in the standings after Silverstone and is 70 points behind the lead Mercedes.